blueandwhite

I prefer the grey (dark bley to be specific) road plates. Green plates can be added on top of a grey plate to create grass or parkland The green plates look a bit tacky (IMO). I also like the strictly white road markings on the dark grey plates. Still, where possible I prefer brick-built roads (grey, dark grey or black) as they can be built at varrying thicknesses allowing for four-lane roads without a median.

Fair enough. I suppose the best thing to hope for is the possibility that the Disney licence yields a potential pirates offshoot in the near future. I guess the demise of Pirates also makes room for the Atlantis theme.

I don't think that it is all that obvious (or necessarily true) that Power Miners are a bigger seller than Pirates. I'm very curious as to how you determined that Power Miners is the bigger seller? Annecdotal statements by themselves are hardly evidence of anything. How can anybody know what parents and kids around the world choose to purchase without concrete sales data? Also, let's not forget that any planning for the next year's lineup would inevitably begin before LEGO had any concrete sales data so it is very possible to discontinue a successful line after a single year. LEGO has to forecast what lines will be successful well in advance.

Given that we've had leaks for the first half of 2010, I'd hazard to say that the only chance of more Pirate sets would be via a Shop@Home exlcuive like the Castle market village. The fact that the line will only be on shelves until the middle of next year pretty much burries any hope of new pirate offerings showing up in the summer. As disappointing as it may be, PotC may be the only chance for a pirates-based theme in the near future. It's a bit ironic. A few months ago the general consensus was that Castle was done in 2010. Now over at CC there is a strong indication that this is not the case. Conversely, Pirates was looking like a sure bet for 2010 with the calendar, chess set and tic-tac-toe all coming out to promote the line. It's a shame this line was never given a chance to expand. It's one of the things I've really disliked about LEGO since the mid 90s. Nothing has any longevity.

On what evidence do you base this conclusion? Perhaps you should be greatful for your power miners instead. It seems to me that lines like Power Miners and Agents fall under a long tradition of short-lived lines ripe with neon pieces and "cool" action figs. If Power Miners manages to achieve a decade's worth of sets then we'll talk. Regarding the sudden demise of the Pirates line; in all honesty, it doesn't surprise me. I just can't see Disney passing on the opportunity to produce a Pirates of the Caribbean line. Licenced themes are obviously a big part of LEGO's future. They sell really well with fans of the licence and LEGO fans making them quite popular so long as the licence is a hit. It's not all bad though as a PotC line would undoubtedly give pirates fans a wider range of bricks for MOCing. Licenced themes seem to bring about a wider variety of theme-specific bricks in order to mesh well with the licence. As a castle fan, Harry Potter was both a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, Castle died for several years making way for Harry Potter. On the other hand, Harry Potter provided us with a great assortment of bricks for castle. The same would surely hold true for a PotC line. Sure; the figs might not be as useful. On the other hand, the brick assortment may actually be incredibly useful. The fact LEGO is giving fans a heads up this early really suggests that this could be related to the Disney license rather than based on the actual sales of the Pirates line.

Classic Town buildings don't really match up that well with the modular sets. Then again; I don't think they are supposed to. The modular town plan is really aimed at adult collectors and builders who work on a larger scale. They simply don't mesh well with the majority of classic buildings. While you can combine the two; the match isn't always going to be asthetically pleasing. For set collectors, I would almost suggest that you treat the two lines as two separate themes. Conversely, a central area that is exclusively modular buildings may look okay with smaller Classic Town buildings scattered about the parimeter. This is a tricky issue simply because the two lines are so different. It's like two great flavours of ice-cream that just don't seem right together.

Muse - Unnatural Selection (loving the new album thus far).

I think the "intent" of the builder is a key issue here. The LEGO concentration camp scene produced by artist Zbigniew Libera is an example of a scene that is frankly unsettling and perhaps disturbing despite not being as visually graphic as some other scenes depicted in LEGO. LEGO can be used to create artistic statements; it can be used to produce silly works of cartoon violence, or it can be used to show acts that are clearly disturbing. I take far greater issue with the third use, but I still believe in freedom of expression (so long as it doesn't have a fundamental impact on the freedom of others). As builders and AFOLs we simply need to excercise discretion when making and viewing MOCs.

I've never understood the appeal of kit cars. At the end of the day, most kit cars are pretty easy to spot (engine sound, fit & finish, vehicle proportions, etc.) and even if you do manage to fool the majority of folks; the car is still nothing more than a lie. Heck, why is it so important to fool your neighbours into believing you own an exotic car in the first place? For the kind of scratch you're talking, why not purchase a used 3 series or something similar. In the long run you'll probably be better off if you try and enjoy a car for what it is rather than passing it off as something it is not. No matter how good the kit is, there will always be somebody who will spot the fact that it is a fake. Not all of these people will have kind words for you.

I'm of the opinion that 1989 was the better year for pirates. It's not that the 2009 line isn't grand; it's that the 1989 line may be one of the best single lines LEGO has ever released. What really stood out in 1989 were the secondary sets. While the Black Seas Barracuda was definitely the must-have piece for that year, sets like Eldorado Fortress and the Caribbean Clipper were also incredible. This year's Soldier's Fort doesn't really hold up to the Eldorado Fortress and there is no 2009 equivilant to the Caribbean Clipper. While it may be a toss-up between sets like Shipwreck Island and Forbidden Island, the lack of a second ship and an impressive fort really puts the 2009 line a step behind IMO. On the other hand, when it comes to figures 2009 is miles ahead of the 1989 line.

Perhaps I'm a bit odd, but I actually like the emphasis that the 2009 calendar places on the holiday season. I still think that the original is the best (if only for being first), but the others have all been decent. I'm not too fond of the 2008 calendar. 2008 also loses out to the infinitely more exciting Castle advent calendar making it my least favourite of the bunch. I would really like to see something a bit different though. I would love to see an advent calendar where you build a MOC over 2+ days (perhaps a small vehicle). A change in the formula would definitely be welcome.

I have no problem with violent MOCs. While I personally don't choose to display numerous graphic acts of violence when building, I still feel that the decision to do so should be left with the builder. I hope that LEGO themselves stays pretty grounded on this topic (no Halo licence thank you very much), but LEGO fans have every right to build and display their MOCs as they see fit. I also agree with what Sandy suggested; LEGO violence typically end up being comedic owing to the nature of LEGO itself. It's exceedingly rare to see a MOC that is truly disturbing. The choice still rests with the builder.

I hope they continue the line. I would love to see a few more structures that we wouldn't typically see in the main line. A dental office seems ideal (great opportunity for interior details and it fits in with the mainstreet feel). A hospital would probably be a tad too large, but a doctor's office or clinic would make sense. A pharmacy would also be nice. Anything to keep the line going would be great!

In fairness; most women use purses and bags to carry their personal items including their wallets and identification. Wearing a backpack into a store looks a tad more suspicious. If a woman was walking around the store with a backpack instead of a purse, security would probably have their eyes on that woman as well. As for a Toys R Us PAB; while I'm not opposed to the idea, I can't see it being very viable. As others have said, restocking it would be a nightmare given the sheer number of Toys R Us retailers out there. It would also require careful monitoring. I've only been to one PAB at LEGOLAND, but the store wasn't that big. Toys R Us is a very large retail outlet with a number of rows and isles. I could see pickpocketing becoming a very common trend amongst dishonest consumers. As I said before, I like the idea, however I can't see it working out when put into practice.

It simply is the way things are. This is one of those things that LEGO won't change anytime soon. The US may share a border with Canada, however pricing in the two countries is very different. On the whole, Canadian pricing for most goods is cheaper than it is in Europe but more expensive than the US. LEGO is no different. When you add in the taxes, Canadian prices on LEGO match up pretty evenly to the prices one would pay in most other territories (Europe & Australia for example). Even then we still fare better on certain licenced products such as Star Wars and Indiana Jones. Honestly, Canadian pricing has actually improved in recent years so I wouldn't be too upset.

Honestly, I don't think that most North American fans feel that they always get the short end of the stick. Personally I'm rather indifferent about this set which unlike the Castle Advent calender has no exclusive figs (when the Castle Advent calender was first released, the jester and the female peasant were exclusive to the calender). I think it's unfortunate that all LEGO products aren't readily available to consumers, however I appreciate that this will likely never be the case. Complaining about product availablity/pricing certainly isn't a phenomenon unique to North American fans. We all feel shortchanged from time to time. The thing is, when the shoe is on the other foot nobody else really seems to care. The fact that you don't draw any distinction between markets in the United States, Canada and Mexico is evidence of that. While the US is certainly privy to the lion's share when it comes to pricing and market availability, I doubt very much that the same could be said for Mexico. Canada gets the same product that the US does (most of the time), but the pricing for LEGO is generally closer to what you would pay in Europe. I wish LEGO was a bit more egalitarian with its product availabilty and pricing, but the reality is that there are a number of markets which are treated far worse than either Europe or North America in both pricing and availability. I just can't see being bothered by a petition (even if it is for a rather dull calender).

I'm pretty sure that we'll see Castle for 2010 given that Ben Ellermann, the LEGO ambassador over at Classic-Castle has said as much. I suspect that this has more to do with the fact that the rumour that we'd be getting elves was quashed earlier this year.

Although I'm not planning on picking one up, I'm definitely on board for your petition. It seems like such a shame to go through this yet again. I purchased my castle advent calenders at a pretty big premium before LEGO made them available to North Americans. I'd hate to see that happen to people again this year. Good luck with the petition!

I don't think that baseplates are unpopular. In fact, that's pretty much news to me. Raised baseplates on the other hand are less appreciated. It's pretty hard to build a large-scale building without baseplates. I'm also not sure about the whole BURP/LURP thing. I would suggest that most AFOLs actually like BURPS & LURPS. A lot of the distain that comes from fans is not for the piece itself but for the sub-standard sets that are often associated with these bricks. BURPS/LURPS are a great filler piece for building large rock formations at a low cost. While it's true that these bricks are often associated with juniorization and they do take a bit of heat; they are exceedingly common in MOCs and form the foundation of most mountains/cliffs I've seen (even if they are covered over in slopes or other bricks).

Not bad. The rocket launcher is indeed very nice looking. A quick suggestion; if you've got a really strong small MOC (your launcher), it might be better to build a small vignette rather than stretch your MOC into something else. The launcher is top notch but suffers a bit against the somewhat spartan environment. This would have probably looked better on a single 16x32 baseplate or even as the aforementioned vignette. Still; good job. Keep up the good work.

Hold on there! Stacking baseplates is actually incredibly useful when building on a large scale. Baseplates may not be able to connect to the bricks directly below them, however when resting on studs they are excactly one plate thick and can be connected to simply by building a footprint of plates around the baseplate and overlaying the seem with bricks/plates. This is actually one of the cheapest/easiest ways to build a large-scale elevation.

I'm going to have to respectfully disagree on this one. Classic Space sets from 1978 until 1987 shared a lot more than just minifigs. The colour-schemes used were actually quite similar. While not the same, most sets of this era had either a base colour of white, grey and blue with windscreens in either yellow or blue (and occassionally green). While the colour-schemes weren't identicle from set to set, there was some consistency in the sense that all of the sets used one of these three colours in their repsective schemes. 497 was predominantly blue and grey. Conversely 6980 was blue grey and white and 6952 was white. Collecting sets from that era provided the builder with a range of blue, white and grey bricks suitable for space MOCs. Spiritually the theme was quite well connected even if the designs did evolve over time. In the 90s the trend of releasing a new sub-theme each year seems to have caught on (this is across themes). Castle, Space and Pirates started introducing different themes each year, yet there was no continuity between releases. This of course meant that one needed to buy a lot of M-Tron, Space Police (I & II), Blacktron (I & II), Ice Planet, etc. in a given year as lines became a one-shot deal. Essentially, a collector who was unable to amass a large number of sets in a single year was left out in the cold in subsequent years making the theme an 'orphan theme' popular amongst a small niche of collectors. You see countless classic Space Castle and Pirate MOCs because collectors had the time to amass a sizeable collection of each over the span of several years (a similar renaissance has occured with the current fantasy Castle line). Only a very small minority of fans seem to have the money (or desire) to purchase the orphan themes in large quantities. This requires a huge single-year output of cash or the willingness to buy on the secondary market for inflated prices; neither of which is easily done for the average consumer. I am still of the opinion that LEGO's notable lack of continuity throughout the 90s was a serious contributing factor in the fall of classic Space, Pirates and Castle. Very few one-year themes have the same passionate followings that their multi-year counterparts do. In this respect, I hope that Space Police III sticks around for a few years.

Generally I consider anything pre-futuron to be classic space, but I can also see lumping Futuron itself in with classic space. Post-Futuron the theme lost cohesivenes. Sure; the theme introduced a number of great sub-themes. Unfortunately none of these sub-themes had the longevity of the original. Moreover, many themes suffered from sub-standard colour schemes. A kid collecting between 1990-1999 would be hard-pressed to build a balanced collection of bricks suitable for MOCing. With the likes of Space Police, M-Tron, Blacktron II and others the theme simply jumped around too much and subsequently lost most of its charm. ~1978-1987~ R.I.P Classic Space.

I simply feel that my definition of the word "play" has changed as I've matured. Even as a child building was a primary focus for me. I certainly set up my medieval armies and pretended that the figures were involved in combat. My town folk dealt with fire resuce entirely too often and my space figs were often deserted on distant moons. That being said; MOCing was always my favourite aspect of LEGO. Today I simply build. I love to build. While I may not act out any fire rescues or castle seiges, I certainly enjoy building suitable environments for these activities. I feel that this is simply a reflection of who I am as an adult as opposed to my youthful (and childish) self who felt the need to act out or roleplay these activities. Ironically, I'm more obsessed with the 'structural correctness' of my MOCs than I was as a child (interiors are essential).

Licencing is incredibly complex. First; LEGO must want to persue a licence. Second; Disney must be willing to licence a given theme. This of course also depends on there being no competing licencing agreements in place. Many of the existing Marvel properties are already licenced out for various terms to other companies (Sony for example has the Spider-Man licence). Depending on the terms of these licences, LEGO might have to pursue licencing agreements from a 3rd party as well. As I understand things, the Spider-Man licence was originally through Sony and dealt with the motion-picture. Just because Disney has secured the Marvel brand doesn't mean that we're going to have a better chance of seeing Marvel LEGO products. Let's not forget that Disney themselves had a licenced agreement with Mega Bloks to produce the Pirates of the Caribbean theme a few years back. LEGO's licencing agreement with Disney doesn't preclude the possibility of Marvel figures, but it doesn't really make it a lot more plausible either.